TLN’s Game Preview: Lakers vs. Clippers

Now that it’s real
Now that the dreams have given all they had to lend
I want to know do I stay or do I go
And maybe try another time
And do I really have a hand in my forgetting ?

- Nico

After marinating in a 39-point loss (I swear I will stop mentioning it. It is just great motivation) for over four months, it is fantastic to taste something different.

Last night, the Lakers opened their 2008-09 season with a 20-point boatracing of the Portland Trailblazers, and as I thought, the Oden/Bynum matchup was a whole lot of nothing. Oden rolled his ankle in the second quarter and hit the showers with 0 points in 13 minutes of play (he did have one heck of a block, though).

So as game two of eighty-two approaches, the Lakers look to improve upon the schematics that they utilized last night. Lamar looked comfortable coming off the bench, Trevor looked to make a highlight every time he touched the ball, and with less than stellar performances from Jordan Farmar and Sasha Vujacic, the Lakers have left much to be desired even with a more than satisfying opening night victory.

As discussed in the preseason, the Clippers made leaps and bounds towards relevance over the offseason with the signing of Davis and the subsequent transactions following Elton Brand’s Brotherly Spurn. They swapped a second round draft pick for a former Defensive Player of the Year in Marcus Camby, they picked up swingman Ricky Davis, acquired Jason Hart in a trade with Utah and drafted Eric “Franklin from the Peanuts” Gordon with the seventh overall pick. Add those varied and talented players to the Clipper holdovers of Chris Kaman, Cat Mobley and Al Thornton, and the Clips have catapulted themselves into the thick of the field of Playoff contenders.

Television –

National: ESPN (Mike Tirico & Hubie Brown)

Lakers: KCAL 9 (Joel Myers & Stu Lantz)

Clippers: KTLA 5 the CW (Ralph Lawler & Mike Smith)

Radio –

Lakers: AM570 KLAC (Spero Dedes & Mychal Thompson)

Clippers: 710 ESPN Radio (Brian Sieman)

Injuries –

Lakers: None to report… I wish this slot stayed like this forever.

Clippers –

Probable: Tim Thomas (Groin)

Baron Davis (Sprained Finger)

Storylines –

9: That is the number that reflects the Lakers rotation last night. Until garbage time in the fourth quarter, Phil Jackson always had at least one starter on the floor. As the season progresses it will be interesting to see how the rotation develops, and if indeed Luke Walton will be the odd man out.

Red, White and Blue Floor: The Lakers may have slept in their own beds, they may dress in their own locker room, yet tonight’s game at STAPLES Center is the Clippers’ season opener, and although the stands will be jam packed with bargain hunting Lakers fans, look for Clipper Darrell and the rest of the Clipper Nation to be out in full regalia, ready for the Inter City Pressure.

Socks: There has been much ado about the process of nicknaming Andrew Bynum. As Matt Smith at KLAC has decreed, I will enforce. From this point forward, Andrew Bynum’s nickname is SOCKS due to the fact that in his rookie season, he refused to go in the team shower without flip-flop out of fear of Athlete’s Foot. When his teammates stole his sandals, Andrew wore socks into the shower. End of conversation, it is Socks Bynum.

Social

Latest

With the Lakers off to a poor start, trade rumors have begun to swirl around Kobe Bryant, leading many to speculate if he'll leave for greener pastures. Kobe puts those rumors to rest in his interview with Yahoo Sports.

Popular Categories

With the Lakers off to a poor start, trade rumors have begun to swirl around Kobe Bryant, leading many to speculate if he'll leave for greener pastures. Kobe puts those rumors to rest in his interview with Yahoo Sports.